Take a camera, shoot something, and show it to someone. Anyone. It can be a friend, your next-door neighbor, or the grocer down the street, it doesn’t matter. Show your audience what you’ve shot and observe their reaction. If they seem to find it interesting, then shoot something else. For instance, make a film about a typical day in your life. But find an interesting way of telling it. If the description of your day is ‘I got up, shaved, had some coffee, made a phone call…’ and on screen we actually see you getting up, shaving, having coffee, and making a phone call, you will quickly realize that this is not interesting at all. You must then think and discover what else there is in your day, which you can show it to make it more interesting. And then you must try that. And maybe it won’t work. So you’ll have to think of another way. And maybe what you’ll eventually realize is that you’re not interested in making a film about your typical day. So make a film about something else. But ask yourself why -always ask yourself why. If you want to make a film about your girlfriend, make a film about your girlfriend. But do it completely; go to museums and look at the way great masters painted the women they loved. Read books and see how authors talk about the women they love. Then make a film about your girlfriend. All this you can do on video. Panavision cameras, spotlights, dollies? You’ll have plenty of time to worry about that later on.

—

Jean-Luc Godard

thought process. what caused me to dig this exact passage from a book i have? how does one view things differently? you shoot the same things over and over because that’s what you see, how do you adapt? change? modify? how do you see what you don’t see? anytime i approach something, i just go with what i know, instinct. gut. reaction. feeling. one can criticize post image/post film forever. but during that moment, there is only so much you can control. why didn’t i do that? why didn’t i frame this? why didn’t i more her left arm slightly below her knee? what is that wrinkle on the shirt? and that is the motivation. to go back out and do it again and again until one day you barely start to feel you are doing it right. and that takes a lifetime. and that is the beautiful part of it all. the only satisfation is the passion and determination to do better than the last. hmmm, i’ve lost sight of this thought. regardless. that passage always motivates me. somehow, it’s romantic.

found this old quote and my comment from my 2006 blog. it still seems relevant.